Understanding the Bible and Its World
London & New York: T & T Clark, 2001

Arguably the greatest literary enigma in history, the Synoptic Problem has fascinated generations of scholars who have puzzled over the agreements, the disagreements, the variations, and the peculiarities of the relationship between the first three of our canonical Gospels. Yet the Synoptic Problem remains inaccessible to students, soon tangled up in its apparent complexities. But now Mark Goodacre offers a way through the maze, with the promise of emergence at the end, explaining in a lively and refreshing style what study of the Synoptic Problem involves, why it is important and how it might be solved. This is a readable, balanced and up-to-date guide, ideal for undergraduate students and the general reader.

Welcome to the companion site for The Synoptic Problem: A Way Through the Maze. This book first appeared in print in 2001 in Sheffield Academic Press's "Biblical Seminar" series. It was reissued by T and T Clark in 2004 in the series "Understanding the Bible and Its World". In 2011, the author, with Duke University and the Internet archive, made it available to everyone for free, in toto, on the web here:

You can access the book in a variety of formats -- download it as a PDF, read it online or download it for your Kindle.

This web site acts as a companion site to The Synoptic Problem: A Way Through the Maze, providing not only information about the book but also additional materials, links to related resources on the internet, and more about the author.

ContentsFind out about the contents of The Synoptic Problem: A Way Through the Maze.

Read an ExcerptYou can read an excerpt from The Synoptic Problem: A Way Through the Maze here, a section on "omissions and additions" from Chapter 3, which focuses on Markan Priority.

SynopsesSample synopses in English are here provided for use in conjunction with the book. You can print these off the web, and you can look at examples of how to colour your Synopsis.

LinksExplore the Synoptic Problem on-line by going to this annotated directory of links at The New Testament Gateway. You will find here introductory material, web sites, articles and more.

About the AuthorMark Goodacre's homepage with details of other publications and more.

Read the BookDownload The Synoptic Problem: A Way Through the Maze here for free to read online, on your kindle, or in a variety of other formats.